Voices from Abroad: Alessandro Di Battista
Seoul (South Korea) and Tokyo (Japan), Campus Abroad
Asian Memories
 Metropolis in Asia |
The exciting atmosphere of the airport terminals, the fascinating adventure of discovering distant countries, the challenge of combining an academic experience and a long trip: these are the key words of the Campus Abroad in Asia. I still vividly remember the unexplainable sensations I felt during the first moments in South Korea. I was surrounded by a completely new environment, climate, way of writing, speaking and eating. In the following days in Seoul I would come to understand that the very conception of life there is extremely different from the "Western" one. Almost the same thing happened when on the 14th day of the Campus Abroad, when the whole group of 30 students moved to Tokyo, Japan. There I faced a country that is so similar to Europe in some aspects, but also so different at the same time. The "land of the rising Sun" surprised me countless times, although it was not as unknown to my mind as South Korea. Both in South Korea and in Japan, classes began very soon, requiring great efforts by everyone, in order to be on time and always prepared for the lessons. The intensive academic schedule however never stopped us from going out every day (and every night) to discover the hidden treasures of those two Asian metropolises. In addition, our agenda was full of events, workshops and company/institution visits, which also brought us from one side of South Korea to another. Along with helping us improve our soft and academic skills and general knowledge, all these experiences gave us the possibility to feel like students abroad, business travelers or even adventurers, depending on the moment. In fact, for many aspects, the social life at Campus Abroad is similar to what anyone experiences during high school trips, and hence, very fun and exciting.
 Japanese temple |
As I will never stop saying, Campus Abroad is much more than a summer school: the incredible experiences you have there will hit on you so deeply that eventually you look at the world differently, and it just takes four weeks. We met diplomats and representatives of the local economic community under the charming atmosphere of cocktails at the Embassy, we visited production plants of famous car brands and built a personal network of contacts (which, never say never, can be useful in the future!). One of the most unique opportunities of the Tokyo-Seoul Campus was to visit the Demilitary Zone at the border between North and South Korea, 60km north of Seoul: here I could feel the smell of the Great History studied in school books, materializing right in front of us: soldiers, frontiers, army, and glimpses of a Cold War. It was absolutely one of the most adventurous and incredible experiences of my life. Our fantastic travel mates, professors Carlo Altomonte and Francesco Passarelli, and our group manager Marta Ciborra, deserve special mention. The experience of traveling and working together allowed a strong friendship to grow among all the people involved, who have kept in touch during the following months, even though most of us were spread across the globe attending long-term international programs. I hope that my academic and working career will continue to allow me to discover other countries and cultures. Nevertheless, the Asian experience of Campus Abroad will remain, due to its unique features, a reference point for my future and a wonderful memory in my life.